Sash balance



April 28, 1964 A. H. ANDERSON 3, 57

SASH BALANCE Filed Sept. 24, 1962 INVENTOR. ALFRED H. ANDERSON A TTORNEY5 United States Patent 3,130,457 SASH BALANCE Alfred H. Anderson, Rte.4, Brainerd, Minn. Filed Sept. 24, 1962, Ser. No. 225,674 1 Claim. ((11.20-52) This invention relates to sash balances. More particularly, thisinvention relates to a new and very useful sash-arresting insert for aconventional double-hung window.

It is an object of this invention to provide a window arrester for aconventional double-hung window which acts as a functional brake duringraising and lowering movements of the sashes.

It is another object of this invention to provide for a conventionaldouble-hung window sash an outwardly opening, longitudinally extendedrib whose side edges frictionally engage the opposed faces of thechannel in which the sash slides.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a window-arrestinginsert whose side edges are adapted to engage the side stop members of awindow casing when such insert is secured to a side edge of acooperating window sash in a conventional double-hung window assembly.

Other and further objects of this invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art from a reading of the attached specificationtaken together with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of a conventional doublehung windowincluding sash and frame therefor;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a side rail member of oneof the window sashes of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view as seen from the line 3-3 of FIG.1, some parts thereof broken away; and

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of the window-arresting insert of thisinvention.

Referring to the figures, there is seen in FIG. 1 a window-arrestinginsert of the invention, which is herein designated in its entirety bythe numeral 10. Insert is seen to be a strip of thin, resilient materialshaped so as to be generally U-shaped in cross-section. The ends of theU-shaped portion 11 are seen to be formed into a pair of out-turnedflanges 1'2 and 13, each of which projects laterally outwardly from theopposite sides of the U- shaped portion 11.

The distance 14 across the window-arresting insert 10 is such that thelaterally outward edges and 16 of respective flanges 12 and 13frictionally engage adjacent stop strips 17 and 18 of a cooperatingwindow casing 19. Hence, edges 15 and 16 are in spaced, generallyparallel relationship to one another.

When window-arresting insert 10 is positioned between adjacent side stopmembers 17 and 18 of window casing 19, and longitudinally raised orlowered, the frictional engagement of lateral outer edges -15 and 16 ofrespective flanges 12 and 13 with side stop members 17 and 18respectively, raising and lowering movements of the window-arrestinginsert 10 are retarded. The U-shaped portion 11 of window-arrestinginsert 10 acts as a spring yieldingly urging respective flanges 12 and13 towards adjacent side stop members 17 and [18 of window casing 19, soas to frictionally engage the abutting lateral outer edges 15 and 16 ofrespective flanges 12 and 13 therewith.

Window-arresting insert 10 can be formed from any conventional material,such as metal, plastic or the like. It is desirable for the material tohave resilient characteristics when in sheet form.

Window-arresting insert 10 can be conveniently mounted upon a sash 21 of'a conventional double-hung window 23 by rabbeting or grooving, as at24, the side rail members 25 of sash 20. The groove 24 should be adaptedto receive in matching engagement the elongated arcuate U-shaped portion11 of window-arresting insert 10. Window-arresting insert 10 isconveniently secured to the edge 27 of side rail member '25 by passing anail or other fastening means 28 through the bottom region 26 of U-shaped portion 11 of window-arresting insert 10 with the bottom region30 of groove 24. Any convenient means can be used to fasten thewindow-arresting insert 10 to an edge 27 of side rail members 25 of asash 20, though, of course, in order to achieve the desired brakingaction, the insert 10 should be secured to the edge 27 by fasteningmeans securing the bottom region 26 of U-shaped portion 11 ofwindow-arresting insert 10 to an edge 27 of a sash.

Variations in the amount of braking action secured using thewindow-arresting insert 10 of this invention can be achieved by usingshorter or longer lengths of insert 10 in any given installation. It isan added feature of this invention that when an insert 10 extends thefull length of a side rail member 25 there is achieved weatherstrippingaction. Such action is achieved because when insert 10 extends thelength of side rail member 25, air cannot pass from one side of the sashto the other around a side rail member 25 between member 25 and sidestop members 17 and 18 of the window casing .19.

It will be observed that the sash balancing action achieved using thewindow-arresting insert of this invention is obtained without exertingyielding bias between the sides :of a sash and the adjacent bottoms ofthe channels wherein such sash rides.

In summary then, the present invention relates to a window-arrestinginsert for a conventional double-hung window comprising across-sectionally generally U-shaped strip of thin resilient materialhaving out-turned flanges projecting laterally outwardly from theopposite sides thereof, said insert being adapted to be secured to aside edge of a window sash for frictional engagement of the laterallyouter edges of said flanges with adjacent side stop members of acooperating Window casing. This insert mounts in a longitudinallyextending, central groove on an opposite side rail member of a windowsash having opposite rail members adapted for vertical sliding movementsin adjacent sides of a cooperating window frame. The width of saidU-shaped strip is slightly larger than the width of said opposite siderail member so as to adapt said U-shaped strip for frictional engagementwith the side stop members of the cooperating window frame.

My invention has been thoroughly tested and found to be completelysatisfactory for the accomplishment of the above objects, and while Ihave shown and described a preferred embodiment, I wish it to bespecifically understood that the same is capable of modification withoutdeparture from the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

In a sliding sash window and sash balance structure, the combinationcomprising a window frame having a channel within which a stile of thewindow sash is adapted to slide, there being a narrow space between theopposed faces of the frame and stile within said channel, said face ofthe stile having a central longitudinal U- shaped groove formed thereinfacing said face of the frame, a one-piece resilient sheet materialarrestor strip interposed between the stile and frame within saidchannel and having a central longitudinal portion which is U- shaped incross section and engaging bodily within said groove and conformingsubstantiallytto the shape of the groove, opposite side longitudinalflanges on said arrestor strip formed integrally with said centralportion and projecting laterally outwardly therefrom substantiallyequidistantly on opposite sides thereof, said flanges lying width :ofsaid strip between said edges being slightly greater than the width ofsaid channel when the sash is in place, and fastener means to anchorsaid central portion of the strip within said groove, near the bottom ofthe groove.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,732,470 Hamilton Oct. 22, 1929 1,808,699 Watkins June 2, 19311,909,698 Madsen May 16, 1933 2,570,312 Bond Oct. 9, 1951

